Day 16 : Swallows vs Tigers!!!

Met up with Chihiro and her cousin Mayu as well as Muraiyama san (who would be our host father for the rest of our stay in Tokyo) and waited for Chihiro’s friend Aya. Then we left our bags with Muraiyama-san. We took the train and went to the Meiji shrine.

What a beautiful sight! It was very crowded with tourists too. After walking past the entrance, we came across a mound of sake barrels.

On the opposite side of the sake was an other mound of barrels but this time with wine.

We arrived at the shrine and we decided to read our fortune. You basically shake a box full of mikado sticks with a number on them and one comes out at random. Then you pay 100 yen to read the fortune linked to the corresponding number. Mine said if I have a goal, I shouldn’t give up and keep trying and it will be fulfilled…so I’ll get on that…

At the shrine, we did a “ritual” everyone can do. You throw any coin in a large crate (although the 5 yen coin is considered to be the luckiest) and bow twice. Then you clap your hands twice, keep your hands together and pray for any wish. You then bow a final time and be on your way!

Then we ate at a Japanese/Korean barbecue restaurant which was a first for me. It was really good! Had beef’s tongue and intestines for the first time too! I must say, the consistency was quite pleasant.

Afterwards, we walked through Takeshita street, the teenager/hipster street. Most of the shops were clothes shops.

It was hilarious reading the English words written on some of them. (Adorable pleasure? Here comes the fat animals?) Anyway..afterwards we went to the top of what I think is called the city hall building. We had a look at the view from the top floor.

Then we walked the streets of shinjuku and went in an arcade, went in a photo booth, I bought some ds games super cheap! The girls showed us the big Godzilla statue. (Can you see it?)

Then Mayu had to leave and as it was time, we went to the baseball game. Tokyo swallows vs Osaka tigers!

It was super fun. We met 3 more of Chihiros friends. Tomuhashi, Sosuke and Shinji. We were on Tokyo’s side of the stadium but they lost 3-6 if I remember right. One of the Swallow’s signature cheer is the Tokyo Ondo. Have a look.

We went back to Ikebukuro and met up with Muraiyama san who drove us to his place. We introduced ourselves to his family. Went to bed.